Finding the ideal father-daughter song for your wedding reception can be an important part of your big day. The song you choose will likely describe the relationship that you had with your father as you were growing up, and how you still feel about him. Here are 15 popular songs that can set any mood you're looking for...

Choosing the right father-daughter wedding song for your reception can be tough. The father-daughter dance at your wedding is a symbolic “passing of the torch” from your parents to the family you’re about to create. It’s also a time to celebrate your relationship with your dad.

Your father-daughter song can also provide a touching experience for the people who attend your reception as they watch the two of you dance together. “The father-daughter dance is special moment,” writes wedding consultant Shira Savada in <em>Martha Stewart Weddings.</em>It deserves a song that strikes the ideal balance between sincere and fun.”

There are probably hundreds of father-daughter wedding songs that you can choose from. Some are slow, sweet tunes that will bring a tear to the eye of everybody who watches you spend those special moments with your dad. Others are more upbeat and fun, so you can celebrate the time that you and you father had as you were growing up.

Although most of these songs are traditional and popular, you can find a song that has a special meaning between you and your dad. It can be a song that he used to sing to you when you were little, or just a song that makes you think of him.

Either way, try to find a song that has a special meaning that you can both enjoy. It will undoubtedly be a moment that you’ll both remember for the rest of your lives.

If you want to add an extra special touch to your father-daughter wedding song, you can prepare a video or slide show of pictures that include you and your father throughout the years. Try to set the pictures to the mood of the song that you choose, and have it playing behind you so your guests can watch both the screen and your dance at the same time.

Here are 15 of the more popular father-daughter dance songs in recent years, along with explanations of why these songs have become top choices for brides.

1. I Loved Her First – Heartland
This country-music hit is a recent favorite in the list of father-daughter wedding songs.

Although it is sappy-sweet, chances are that there won’t be a dry eye in the room by the time the dance is over.

The song describes a father watching his little girl grow up and her experiences with men, such as going out on dates.

The chorus also goes through the daughter’s birth and how the father held his girl when she was taking her first breaths.

Throughout the years, the father is saying, “I loved her first,” and the new husband must now step up and take care of her.

2. Butterfly Kisses – Bob Carlisle
This has quickly become one of the most popular father-daughter wedding songs.

The song describes a father watching his little girl growing up through the years and the things that they used to do together. It speaks about saying bedtime prayers together, as well as her Sweet 16 birthday party and then her wedding day.

His favorite thing that he remembers throughout the years, though, is the “butterfly kisses” that they used to give each other, which is when two people bat their eyelashes together.

Though the song is a bit sappy and overused, it’s sure to bring tears to the eyes of many guests.

3. My Girl – The Temptations
This is an older song that the whole crowd will know without fail. Since people really enjoy hearing this tune, it makes a popular choice.

In this context, the lyrics celebrate the relationship between father and daughter rather than lamenting her leaving the protective hands of her dad. The bride can enjoy a fun dance, rather than face the typical sad feeling that many have during these few minutes.

4. Unforgettable – Nat King Cole and Natalie Cole
This big hit is a common choice – especially the duet version, which includes Natalie Cole singing with the voice of her deceased father dubbed in so it sounds like they’re together.

It’s a slow song, so it provides a sweet moment that everybody can witness. The older guests may become nostalgic as they watch you sway along to the music.

5. You Were Always on My Mind – Willie Nelson or Elvis Presley
This isn’t a typical father-daughter wedding song, but it has a great message. It describes someone who has made mistakes in the relationship throughout the years, but has never stopped thinking about or loving the other person.

This might be too emotional if you and your father have had relationship problems in the past, but the song could be the ideal way to celebrate the way you have both survived those troubles and come through them with a lasting and loving relationship.

6. What a Wonderful World – Louis Armstrong
This has been one of the most popular father-daughter wedding songs for a long time. Your guests can’t help but picture you growing up and the twinkle in your father’s eye as he watched you mature.

People of any age will be sure to recognize and appreciate this song, and it’s often used as the wedding song for the bride and groom.

7. You Are the Sunshine of My Life – Stevie Wonder
The name of this song says it all. It describes your father’s feelings about you as you dance.
This is a faster-paced tune, so it will be fun to dance to if you’d rather feel a happy, sweet moment.

8. Have I Told You Lately – Rod Stewart
The first line of this father-daughter wedding song says, “Have I told you lately that I love you?”

It could be the perfect choice, whether you and your father have had a great relationship or if there have been problems in the past.

It’s a slow song that your guests will enjoy watching you dance to, and it makes for a great way to help those fathers in the crowd think about their relationships with their own daughters.

9. Through the Years – Kenny Rogers
Although this is mainly a country song, everybody will know it and they will appreciate the message in it.

As the title implies, this father-daughter wedding song is indicative of the trials and struggles that have occurred in life and relationships over the past years.
Made popular by Kenny Rogers and produced by Lionel Richie, this has been a popular reception song for decades.

Even though it was written as a ballad for a significant other, the words and lyrics can still apply to a relationship between a loving father and daughter.

10. Daughters – John Mayer
This hit tune, which won a Grammy Award for Song of the Year in 2003, emphasizes the importance of a father in the daughter’s life.

It’s offbeat wedding choice because it isn’t overwhelmingly positive. The singer admonishes fathers (and mothers) to be good to their daughters, because it will affect their future relationships. But it can work if you’re looking for a less sentimental option.

11. Wind Beneath My Wings – Bette Midler
You can’t go wrong by picking this Grammy-winning song to dance to with your father at the reception.

For many brides, it’s a perfect song to reiterate the feelings that you might have had for your father throughout the years.

It describes the way that somebody has always been a shoulder to cry on and an unconditional support through all of life’s trials and tribulations.

This is a great way to tell your dad how much you appreciate him on your special day.

12. The Way You Look Tonight – Frank Sinatra
As a song that can be taken as a father’s feelings toward a growing and beautiful daughter, Frank Sinatra’s ode is a sweet way to begin your reception.

Its upbeat tempo and waltz-like rhythm makes for a charming and unique dance that your guests will enjoy watching.
While the most famous version is by Frank Sinatra, it was originally performed in a movie by Fred Astaire, and has been recorded by many crooners since then.

13. Daddy's Little Girl – Michael Bublé
As far as father-daughter dance songs go, it simply doesn’t get any better than this – which is probably why it’s one of the most requested songs ever for wedding receptions.

"Daddy’s Little Girl” has been played at weddings since the early 1950s, but the Michael Bublé version is probably the most requested today.

In less than subtle lyrics, the singer happily describes the joy that his daughter has brought into his life. If you listen closely to the song as you dance, you probably won’t be able to hold back the tears. It will truly be a few special minutes that you and your father will remember for a lifetime.

14. Hero – Mariah Carey
Made popular in the early 1990s, this is a song that is a great alternative for brides who like the idea of “Wind Beneath My Wings” but feel it’s overplayed at weddings.

This song has the same feeling and tone as it describes how your father has been your hero throughout your life and continues to be a great influence on you.

15. Daddy" Hand – Holly Dunn
Almost any song that has the word “daddy” in the title makes a good father-daughter wedding dance song, with the exception of a few choices. This song is ideal as it talks about how the bride’s father was a loving dad while still being firm and fatherly when he needed to be.

This was a popular country song during the mid-1980s and continues to be a favorite for brides and fathers alike because of its lyrics and fun dancing tempo.

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